March 10, 2010

WVU Parkersburg art faculty named WV Governor's Arts Awards' 2010 Artist of the Year.

CONTACT:  Zack Orcutt, instructor of art, 304-424-8267.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A West Virginia University at Parkersburg art faculty member is the 2010 winner of Artist of the Year honors in the West Virginia Governor’s Arts Awards’ program.

Zack Orcutt, an art instructor at WVU Parkersburg, was honored at a ceremony and gala March 15 at the Culture Center in Charleston.

The Artist of the Year recognizes an individual artist who has displayed excellence in their discipline and has impacted the exposure to the arts in West Virginia through their work.

Honorees in the WV Governor's Art Awards are selected from nominations submitted for individual artists, organizations and communities in five categories of awards coordinated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

Orcutt received a master of fine arts degree in sculpture from Bowling Green State University and a bachelor of fine arts in sculpture from Syracuse University. In addition, he completed an apprenticeship at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture in Mercerville, NJ. His work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Kettering Art Center, the Parkersburg Art Center, Duke University, and the Sculpture Center in Cleveland in addition to international exhibits in Rosario, Argentina; Florence, Italy;  Frankfurt, Germany, and Istanbul, Turkey.

He received an Award of Excellence at the 2009 West Virginia Juried Exhibition.  Currently, he has artwork on display at the Parkersburg Art Center as part of the college’s annual student/faculty art show.

In addition to Artist of the Year, the award categories include Arts in Education Award for efforts to strengthen arts education in West Virginia public schools and the overall impact on arts education in West Virginia; Distinguished Service to the Arts Award for exceptional talent and creativity that have contributed to the arts and have fostered growth and influenced trends and aesthetic practices on a state and national level; Leadership in the Arts Award for demonstrating exceptional leadership and access to the arts throughout the state of West Virginia, and the Governor’s Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement for significant accomplishments in the arts.

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For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Institutional Advancement
(304-424-8203 - Office)
E-mail